Creating Custom User Objects for the DL.2 in 3D Studio MAX

Topics include:

·          Unit Setup

·          Make Boundary Grid

·          Modeling Objects

·          Assign Material

·          UVW Mapping

·          Multiplication

·          Collapsing

·          Exporting

Unit Setup

1.   On the menu bar, click on Customize, select Units Setup….(see example)

2.   In the Unit Setup window, click on System Unit Setup.

3.   In the System Unit Setup window, change the unit scale to Meters. Below in the Origin section, drag the pointer all the way to the left- the

      Resulting Accuracy reads “0.000000001”- Click OK.

4.   In the Units Setup window, select Metric as the unit scale, and make sure Meters is in the window

5.   Click OK.

Make Boundary Grid

Option 1: Import Template

1.   On the menu bar, click on File, select Import. (see example)

2.   Find the file you downloaded named DL2 Custom Object Template.3ds, and click Open.

3.   In the 3DS Import window, select Completely replace current scene, and make sure the box next to Convert units is checked.

4.   With the plane selected, Right-Click on it and select Properties, In the General tab un-check the box next to Show Frozen in Gray, and check the

      box next to Freeze, this will make the plane stationary as you model your object. (see example)

Option 2: Make a plane 13m x 9.6m

1.   In the Create tab, select Plane. (see example)

2.   Click on the “+” next to Keyboard Entry”.

3.   Leave the “X:, Y:, Z:” boxes at 0.0m, change the Length to 9.6m, and the Width to 13.0m.

4.   Click Create.

5.   With the plane selected, Right-Click on it and select Properties, In the General tab un-check the box next to Show Frozen in Gray, and check the

      box next to Freeze, this will make the plane stationary as you model your object. (see example)

Modeling Object

This example shows how to create an object called Tube Hills. Click on the picture to see its final result.

1.   In the Create tab, select Cylinder.

2.   Click on the “+” next to Keyboard Entry. (see example)

3.   Leave the “X:, Y:, Z:” boxes at 0.0m, change the Radius to .25m and the Height to 5.65m.

4.   Click Create. This will create one tube. The others will be made from this one. We are going to setup the first one then copy it multiple times.

Assign Material to Object

By assigning a material, you are able to check and tweak the UVW Map as you work.

1.   Open the Material Editor on the top toolbar or use the “m” key on the keyboard.

2.   Get Material, Browse From: Material Library. (see example)

3.   Choose a material that will be easy to see the UVW Mapping. I chose Bricks_Bricks_1.

4.   Select Show Map in Viewport, and then Assign Material to Selection.

UVW Mapping

1.   With the cylinder selected, go the Modify tab and look in the drop-down Modifier-List window for UV Map. (see example)

2.   In the Parameters section under Mapping select Cylindrical and check the box next to Cap. Check the cylinder to see that all sides have their

      texture in their respective shapes.

Multiplication

1.   With the cylinder still selected, make 3 copy/clones of the cylinder and place them anywhere within the region. (see example)

2.   I made 4 different sizes of cylinders to make up this object and their radii remain at .25m and the heights are as follows: 5.65m,4.28m,

      2.825m, 1.413m, the heights can be whatever you want them to be, make this as custom as you want. (see example)

3.   Copy/clone these tubes many times to fill up the template region. Arrange them in any configuration. (see example)

Collapsing

Example .3ds Non-Collapsed (Download)

Example .3ds Collapsed (Download)

1.   Right-click on the plane and select Unfreeze All.

2.   Select the plane and delete it from the scene.

3.   Select all the cylinders.

4.   In the Utilities tab select Collapse. (see example)

5.   Select Mesh in the Output Type section.

6.   Select Single Object in the Collapse To section.

Exporting

1.   Select your group of cylinders and make sure they are one group. (see example)

2.   In the menu bar select File, Export, and save the file as a “.3ds”.

3.   Use any converter tool you might have to convert your “.3ds” file to a “.x” DirectX format. Deep Exploration by Right Hemisphere is an

      example of such a tool.